1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method, an information management device and an image processing device, and more particularly to an image processing method for reading an image recorded on a photographic photosensitive material and processing image data obtained by that reading, an information management device for recording information on a photographic photosensitive material, a cartridge, or a camera shipped with a photographic photosensitive material already loaded therein, and an image processing device for reading an image recorded on the photographic photosensitive material and processing the image data obtained by that reading.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a camera (what is known as a lens-fitted film package) in which a photographic photosensitive material such as an unexposed photographic film (hereinafter referred to simply as photographic film) is loaded, has been well known, and currently, types in which a monochrome film or sepia film is loaded are on sale. However, in an era when the use of digital printers has become commonplace, various types of finished photographic prints can be created even from an ordinary color negative film by recording the finishing information on a bar code or the like and producing the finished photographic prints using a digital printer in accordance with the specified finishing information.
In such a lens-fitted film package, information on the photographic finishing method (finishing information) is recorded via a bar code or the like on the cartridge housing the film or on the film itself at the time of production. Upon printing each frame image recorded on a film, the above-mentioned finishing information is read and image processing corresponding to that processing information is performed on the image data of each frame image (image data obtained by reading the frame image), so that a photographic print of a printing finish corresponding to the above finishing information is produced.
Actually in most cases, a film accommodated in the lens-fitted film package is an ordinary color negative film, regardless of the above-mentioned finishing specifications. In other words, if the finishing information can be changed, a photographic print of the desired printing finish can be obtained from a frame image taken with the lens-fitted film package.
However, technology for changing information recorded in advance on the lens-fitted film package (finishing information or the like) to the desired information has not yet been established, so that it is difficult to change the print finishing method to the desired print finishing method in accordance with the desires of the purchaser of the lens-fitted film package at the time of development.
Accordingly, the present invention has been achieved to solve the above problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an information management device capable of changing finishing information or the like recorded in advance to desired information, an image processing method and an image processing device capable of performing image processing based on information obtained after the change.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method in which first image processing information indicating the content of processing to be performed on image data obtained by reading an image recorded on a photographic photosensitive material is recorded in advance during the production of each on a photographic photosensitive material, a cartridge housing a photographic photosensitive material, or a camera which is shipped with a photographic photosensitive material already loaded therein, an image recorded on the photographic photosensitive material is read, said first image processing information is read when image processing is performed on the image data obtained from the reading and the processing content of the processing to be performed is determined, and the image processing of said image data is performed, said image processing method comprising the steps of: when the content of image processing to be performed is changed, overwriting the first image processing information with second image processing information indicating the content of image processing after the change or additionally recording the second image processing information; if the second image processing information is recorded on the photographic photosensitive material, the cartridge or the camera when the image processing on the image data is performed, reading the second image processing information; and determining the content of image processing to be performed on the basis of the second image processing information obtained by the reading.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first aspect, wherein the first and second image processing information is lens type information relating to a lens mounted in the camera for projecting an object upon photographing and the content of the image processing includes at least one of aberration correction of the lens and peripheral darkening correction of the lens.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the second image processing information includes cancellation instruction information for instructing the cancellation of a predetermined image processing.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information management device for overwriting the first image processing information with second image processing information indicating a processing content different from that of the first image processing information or for recording the second image processing information as an addition to the first image processing information, when the first image processing information and the second image processing information relate to a photographic photosensitive material, a cartridge for housing a photographic photosensitive material, or a camera shipped with a photographic photosensitive material already loaded therein on each of which the first image processing information indicating the content of the image processing to be performed on image data obtained by reading an image recorded on the photographic photosensitive material has been recorded in advance.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing device for performing image processing on image data obtained by reading an image recorded on photographic photosensitive material comprising: processing information reading means for reading the image processing information from a photographic photosensitive material, a cartridge for housing a photographic photosensitive material, or a camera shipped with a photographic photosensitive material already loaded therein on each of which the image processing information indicating the content of the image processing to be performed on the image data has been recorded in advance; and determining means for determining the content of the image processing to be performed on the basis of the image processing information obtained from the reading by the processing information reading means.
According to the image processing method of the first aspect, the first image processing information indicating the content of image processing to be performed on image data obtained by reading an image recorded on a photographic photosensitive material such as a photographic film (hereinafter referred to simply as photographic film), is recorded on a photographic film, a cartridge for housing the photographic film or a camera shipped with the photographic film already loaded therein (for example, a lens-fitted film package). When the image recorded on the photographic film is read and image processing is performed on the image data obtained by the reading, the first image processing information is read so as to determine the content of the image processing to be performed, and image processing is performed on the image data according to the content of the processing obtained by the determination.
As the image processing information, for example, aberration information of the lens for use for photographing or print finishing method information (i.e. information about sepia tone finishing or monochrome finishing or soft focus finishing) is available.
In this image processing method, if it is intended to change the content of the image processing to be performed, the first image processing information is overwritten with the second image processing information indicating the content of the image processing after the change or the second image processing information is recorded as an addition to the first image processing information. If the second image processing information is recorded on the photographic film, cartridge, or camera when image processing of the image data is performed, that second image processing information is read and the content of image processing to be performed is determined depending on not the first image processing information but the second image processing information obtained from the reading.
As a result, the second image processing information indicating the content of image processing after the change is taken in precedence to the first image processing information recorded in advance during production, so that the content of the image processing after the change is set as the content of the image processing to be performed. Next, the image processing is performed out on the image data according to the content of the image processing after the change. That is, the image processing can be performed out according to the content of the processing indicated by the second image processing information recorded after the first image processing information.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, at least one of lens aberration correction and peripheral darkening correction are performed on the image data using at least one of the lens aberration correction information and the peripheral darkening correction information for the lens type information after the change rather than for the lens type information recorded in advance during production (lens type information for a lens mounted in a camera for projecting an object when photographing). With precedence given to the lens type information recorded after, the image processing (at least one of aberration correction and peripheral darkening correction) can be performed according to at least one of the lens aberration correction information and peripheral darkening correction information corresponding to the lens type information recorded later.
The second image processing information may include cancellation instruction information for instructing the cancellation of a predetermined image processing as in the third aspect. If the second image processing information includes cancellation instruction information, the execution of a predetermined image processing is canceled according to the cancellation instruction information.
That is, by including the cancellation instruction information for instructing the cancellation of a particular image processing in the second image processing information, when a particular image processing is required to be canceled, the particular image processing can be canceled according to the cancellation instruction information.
In the information management device of the fourth aspect, the first image processing information is overwritten with the second image processing information indicating a processing content different from the first image processing information or the second image processing information is recorded as an addition to the first image processing information, with respect to a photographic film, a cartridge, or a camera on which the first image processing information indicating the content of the image processing to be performed has been recorded in advance.
Using this information management device, the first image processing information recorded in advance on the photographic film, cartridge, or camera can be overwritten with the second image processing information or the second image processing information can be recorded as an addition to the first image processing information.
In the image processing device of the fifth embodiment, the processing information reading means reads the image processing information from a photographic photosensitive material, the above-described cartridge, or the above-described camera on each of which the image processing information indicating the content of the image processing to be performed on the image data has been recorded at the time of production, or overwritten or recorded as an addition by the information management device of the forth aspect of the present invention. The determining means determines the content of the image processing indicated by the image processing information obtained from the reading as the content of the image processing to be performed. Then, image data obtained by reading an image recorded on the photographic film is processed according to the content of the image processing obtained by this determination.
That is, in this image processing device, the image data of an image recorded on the photographic film can be processed according to the content of a processing indicated by the image processing information recorded on the photographic film, cartridge, or camera.